Liquid-fuel-feeding apparatus.



R. C. MITCHELL.

LIQUID FUEL FEEDING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 3.1916.

Patented May 7,1918.

tpeetueatiori a tters Patent.

Application. tiled L 'uue hauls]. lilo. ltllyfi'ld.

residing at Mount Vermin, Westohester county, New York State have invented a new and useful Liquid-Fuel-lleedi A ipm ratus, (X-XQ of which the roll is a specification.

My inveutiou relates to certain new and useful improvements in liquid i teed tanks, "which may he used to adva cennectiou with zteedh-- .Lll t vaporizer or curhure i provide nism Wherehy said feed tanlruuey he tilled from a supply tank a aged at a lower level, said filling process being; ei'lected by creating a partial vacuum. in the feed when desired to restore audmaiutein the level of the lluid stant.

Figure iug certain Fig. p i p relatively enlarger Fig; 3 is a view milarto it, but ilhzs tratiug a modification, I

"l" represents a main fuel supply tunic (1' represents a vaporizer or earh'ureter. E represents any suitable means for cheating exhaust, tor eaample, it may lepiesentpart of the intake pipe or so-ealled manifold of an internal combustion engine 1 represents the fuel :teed taule 2 represents a float therein 3 represeutse hell crank lever mounted on a suitable support l and conuected at its upper end with a valve mechanism 5 In Figs, 1 and 2 this valve is a one-piece structure httVlIltvvo pointed ends (Irb. 6 is a vent pipe W- ich leads into the interior of the tank 1. i is an exhaust pipe which also. opens into the-interior ol the tank 1 and which is suitably connected to the exhaust means The end 7) off the valve member 5 projects into the inner endor the exhaust pipe in one of these pipes preferably the pipe '7, is adjustable? any I suitable adjusting means being provided. In

this instance, the adjusting means comprisesa nut 8 threaded on the outer side of the ipe'so that it may be moved to and :lro. his nut 8 forms a combined Washer and abutment shoulder against which a gland 9 may ubut'so that by means of the gland the nut 8 maylpe drown tightly into place apd thereby hold the pipe Z iuits desired adjgusted position as shown in 1. 10 is a supply pipe which leads trout the supply tank 'l to the feed tank 1. ll 18 an ordinary check valve therein 12 is, an outlet or feed pipe which conveys fuel to the carhureter or vaporizer C,

and in this instance the pipe 12 pro jects into the hottom of said reservoir and a coutiuuatiouof said pipe 15? leads from the bottom of reservoir to the part C. 15 a suitable hack check valve. 16 is a vent for the reservoir let 'lhe valve me nher 5 when it closes the vent pipe 6 asshown in Fig. 1, opens the exhaust pipe 'Z, and, when it is i'uoved into the position to choke the ezsh aust pipe '6' it opens the vent pipe 6. By sushi g the ends of the valve member 5 ta ered, obvious that when said valve her is moved to the left :l'rom the posiehowu i x i, it will ereuhially open ht ar d gradually close the exhaust. 1 pi the enclarranged to coeperate with the exhaust will never completely close the exhaust.

Uperatiou: When. the parts stand as Patented it, lltllld,

t It is preferable to mount ntermediate reservoir 1% in the path of to provide in. the side ofthe valve at ,a small groove 03 so that the valve shown in Fig. l, the vent 6 is fully closed,

While the exhaust 7 is open to the interior of the tank. This Will create a suficientvacuum to raisefuel from the supply tau-k T through the pipe 10 from which it will cieutly opened, and the exhaust has been i sufiiciently closed, the vacuum in the tank 1 will be lowered to a oint Where it Will be insuflicient to lift fue from the supplytank T. It might he stated that during this fillingopei'ation the valve 15 in the feed pipeis closed so that fuel in the reservoir l4= may freely run to the carbureter Q. As soon as the vacuum ceases, the fuel in the tank 1 Will readily flow into the reservoir lt and fill it to its intended level. It Will he noted Hence, the mixture in the manifold E will never be unduly adulterated.

In Fig. 3, 10 represents the supply pipe as before. '2': represents the exhaust pipe and 6 represents the vent pipe. 1 represents the fuel feed tank. 2 represents the float. 3 represents a walking beamanounted on a suitable support 4:. The walking beam forms partgreater speed than it will be exhausted through the latter, whereupon the fuel in the feed tank 1 may flow out through the feed pipe 12 by gravity.

It is obvious that the various parts may be constructed in a variety of ways, my main purpose in the present invention being to provide a valve mechanism which is controlled by the level of fuel in the feed tank and which shown. Each of these will'so change the eifectiveness of the exhaust relatively to theefiectiveness of the vent and vice versa, that when the level of fuel is lowered to a certain point in the feed tank, fuel will be drawn in from a suitable supply source until the desired level is reestablished whereupon the vent will be sulficiently opened to render the vacuum ineffective for the purpose of drawing in more fuel until the level again lowers in the feed tank. Obviously the reservoir lat or any equivalent means, may be associated with the tank shown in Fig. 3, if desired.

For adjustment either or both of the pipe ends 67 where they enter the'tank 1 may be adjusted up and down relatively to the valve ends ba. This adjustment may be effected in any desired way and is conventionally illustrated by the screw thread pipe ends may have a lock nut thereon to hold the pipes in the desired positions of adjustment. The lock nuts are indicated at 17-17.

The valve mechanism in each of the lllOdlfications it will be observed hasan unbalancing effect. That is to say, it allows the vacuum in the feed tank to increase to the effective point Where it will draw in liquid from the main supply tank and allows it to decrease to a point where the supply will cease running in and the contents of the feed tank may discharge by gravity. Obviously the means by which this is accomplished may be modified in a great variety of ways and I have attempted to'show only two forms herein. ordinary adjusting on any or all parts I apprehend also that means may be employed of the valve mechanism for the purpose of se'curing the desired operscribed, a tank,

ation thereof, and I do not desire to limit myself to any specific form of adjusting means for that purpose.

What I claim is:

1. In an apparatus of the character described, a tank, a liquid supply pipe leading into the same, a vent pipe leading into the same, an exhaust pipe leading into the same and automatically controlled valve mechanism cooperating w ith the exhaust and the vent pipes to vary the degree of vacuum in said tank by varying the area of the exhaust passage.

2. In an apparatus of the character described, a tank, liquid supply pipe leading into the same, a vent pipe leading into the same, an exhaust pipe leadin into the same and automatically control ed valve mechanism cotiperating with the exhaust and the vent pipes to vary the degree of vacuum in said tank by varying the area of the exhaust passage, said automatic means including a float movable by the variation of liquid level in said tank.

3. In an apparatus of the character described, a tank, a liquid supply pipe leading into the same, a vent pipe leading in the same, an exhaust pipe leading into the same and automatically controlled valve mechanism coiiperating with the exhaust and the vent pipes to vary the degree of vacuum in said tank by varying the area of the exhaust passage, and an auxiliary feed reservoir in communication with said tank and a check valve in the line of said communication.

a. In an apparatus of the character described, a tank, a liquid supply pipe leading into the same, a vent pipe leading into the same, an exhaust pipe leading into the same and automatically controlled valve mechanism cooperating with the exhaust and the vent pipes to vary the degree of vacuum in said tank by varying the area of the exhaust passage, and an auxiliary feed reservoir in communication with said tank and a check valve in the line of said communication, said reservoir having a vent.

5. In an apparatus of the character described, a tank, a liquid supply pipe leading into the same, a vent pipe leading into the same, an exhaust pipe leading into the same and automatically cont-rolled valve mechanism cooperating with the exhaust and the vent pipes to vary the degree of vacuum in said tank by varying the area of the exhaust passage, and a check valve in said supply pipe.

6. In an apparatus of the character dea liquid supply pipe leading into the same, a vent ipe leading into the same, an exhaust pipe eading into the same and automatically controlled valve mechamsm coiiperating with the exhaust and the vent pipes to vary the degree of vacuum in said tank by varying the area of the exhaust passage, said valve mechanism being'adjustable. l

7. In an apparatus of'tlie character de; scribed, a tank, a liquid supply pipe leading into the same, a vent pipe leading into the \same, an exhaust pipe leading into the same and aulmnatically controlled. valve mechw nism cooperating with the exhaust and the vent pipes to vary the degree of vacuum in said tank by varying the area of the exhaust passage, said valve mechanism including means for gradually closing the vent While simultaneously opening the exhaust and vice ROBERT C. MITCHELL. 

